Pneumatic tire



June l0, 1930.

H. B. WHITLARK PNEUMATIG TIRE l4 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed Feb. 25, 1924 INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 10, 1930. l H. B. WHITLARK 1,762,905

PNEUMATI C TIRE original Filed Feb.A 25, 1924 4 sheets-sheet 2 fro'rma//Wab/ v ,mss/a9 over fra/fs Verse aNvENToR HB Wfularf.

ATTORNEY -June 10, 1930. Q H. B. wHl'rLARK 1,762,905

PNEUMATIC TIRE original Filed Feb. 25, 1924 4 sheets-sheet 3 ,bass/'x17 aref sfo/re 4 ATTORNEY- l El?. W/u'uar/c,

\ BY I June 10, 1930. B. wHlTLARK 1,762,905

PNEUMATIG TIRE Orgi-nal Filed Feb. 25, .1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HB. mitldrl.

ATTORNEY Fatented lune 10, 193@ TES NT @FFiCE- HENRY' BENSON WHITLARK, OF TARBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO LAMBERT TIRE da RUBBER COMPANY, OF IBARBERTON,v OHIO, A

CORPORATION `ilontirmiation. of-application Serial No. 695,013, led February 25, 1924, refiled for abandoned application No. 330,205, filed vOctober 13, 1919. This application led July 10, 1926. Serial No. 121,680.

vide a pneumatic tire in which the construcf tion is such that the tread portion will be practically self-cooling, thereby prolonging the life of the tire. y

A further object of the invention is to provide a pneumatic tire which is simple -in construction, strong, durable, inexpensive to manufacture; and one in which the construction is such that there will ybe less liability of the rubber portion of the tire becoming separated or stripped from the carcass, which is an ordinary occurrence with tires now in use which have heavy ltread portions.

Other objects and advantages of the iny' vention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this: specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the, same Figure 1f is a cross section of a'tire embodylng my invention, taken substantially on the line 1-,-1 of Figure 6 showing'the tire placed on a rim with inner tube inserted before inflation and under no load.

Fi ure 2 is a view similar to Figure .l showing the tire under normal inflation but no load.

Figure''is a view similarto Figures 1 v vaction of the tire .and it will prevent, to -a in passing over la stone in the road.

Figure 6 is a side elevation and part central vertical longitudinal section of a ortion of the tire as shown in Figure l1a 1. e., under no inflation and no load.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a portion l of the tire under normal intiation and no i load (shown in Figure 2) on a reduced scale. f

Figure 8 is a view similarto Figure 7 showing the tire under normal inflation and normal load (Figure 3).

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figures 7 and 8 showing the approximate action of the tire in passing over a curbing or rail ob-` struction (Figure 4).

Figure l0 is a side elevation similar. to

Figures 7, 8 and 9 showing approximatelyv the action of the tire in passing over a stone (Figure 5).

In the drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 1 designates the tlre body as a whole, which is provided with the usual' inner tube chamber 2 that is surrounded by a carcass structure 3, the outer side of this carcass beingcovered with rubberof insuiiicient thickness to form acushion, whereby the inner tube carries the entire load as is usual in lpneumatic tires.

The tread 4 of the tire is of greater thickness than in the ordinary tire practice, being' equal to about one-third of the entire height, reat extent, nails and other pointed artic es from passing th-rough it and puncturing the inner .tube 9 which is common with tires now '1n use. The tread is provided with a series of equally spaced openings 5 Varranged around the entire circumference of the tire, and extending transversely of the tread. portion forming spaced lugs or necks 8 which extend transversely of the peripher of the tread. These openings serveto cushion the tread 4, and in conjunction with the usual air cushion within the chamberfl, a tire of great resiliency lwill be had, thereby promoting easy riding of the tire. These openings 5 not only serve to make the tire more resilient and break up .the traction wave which is largely responsible for tread separation, but they also serve to permit the passage of air therethrough which radiates theheat and tends to keep thetire cool. This feature will be found very advantageous when employed with tires having thick tread portions, because such tires become greatly over-heated.

Inserted in the tire at the juncture of the lugs and openings with the tread portion 4 and extending circumferentially around the tire, arenon-biased or substantially stretchless fabric bands 7, and also embedded in the tire at the juncture of the lugs and openings with the periphery of the body 1, are other fabric bands 6 which likewise extend circumferentially. The bands G being disposed adjacent the inner walls of the openings 5 serve to flatten the inner tube chamber 2 and thereby prevent excessive expansion of the chamber 2 when the inner tube is inflated. On the other hand, the bands 7, which also contribute to prevent excessive expansion, being disposed adjacent the outer walls of the openings 5, prevent the rubber tread portion 4 from becoming stripped from the bands 7 In other words, it is well known that in the ordinary tire the tread is built around a fabric carcass which is very taut, and because of the failure of the carcass to yield when` the tire is placed under certain lateral strains the tread oftentimes becomesl stripped from the carcass and ruins the tire. lVith my construction this is not so, because the non-biased or substantially stretchless bands 7 are a great deal more-yieldable than the ordinary tire carcass because of the cushion structure consisting of openings 5 and lugs 8 between this band and the carcass and for this reason there is little liability of the tread 4 becoming stripped from the bands 7. Inasmuch as the bands 6 are primarily intended to flatten the chamber 2 they need not be as wide as the bands 7 which are of a width approximately equal the width of the tread 4. The bands 6, by preventing excessive radial expansion of the carcass, prevent the 'side walls of the latter from pulling inwardly and exerting an injurious stretching action on the outer ends ofthe transverse rubber members 8,

I wish to point out here that the' bands 6 are not built in as taut as the carcass 3, thus when the tire is inflated the bands 6 will stretch slightly and press the rubber necks outward thus resulting in tightening the bands 7 and compressing the rubber necks 8 between the bands 6 and 7 Hence, the rubber necks 8 will have no tendency to separate from the carcass because of theirbeing held in by the tautness of the bands 6 and 7, and, as before stated, there will be less tendency of the tread 4 separating because it is vulcanized to the bands 'e' which are more yielding than the carcass of an ordinary tire, these bands 7 being separated from the carcass 3 by the yieldable necks 8.

A tire of the above construction is punctureproof by reason of the thick tread portion 4. It is blowout proof by virtue of the fact that all sharp actions are absrbed in the tread portion with its circumferential bands 6 and 7 and transverse openings 5, and because of the peculiar construction of the tire, as before mentioned, the side walls and beads will be relieved, to a great extent, from lateral strains. Thus, through these various methods of protection furnished the tire, greater mileage will result, the tread being substantially thickened will cause longer wear, and beceause of the great resiliency of the tire easier riding qualities will be ensured.

Attention is further directed to the following` z-I am, of course, aware that cushion tires have heretofore been constructed, embodying features such as a continuous tread ring with necks or lugs alternating with openings. However, by combining a cushion structure of this type with a pneumatic structure, such'cushion structure derives different characteristics from those possessed by similar purely cushion structures. One of the most prominent changes in action is that the necks or lugs 8 are radially compressed in the improved tire, and in addition to having the advantages pointed out for this radial compression, the amount of action in the cushion structure is materially reduced. This is desirable as it reduces the amount of heat generated7 thus more effectively cooling the tire. In this new type of tire the pneumatic feature is relied upon principally for resiliency, and the cushion structure primarily for obtaining other benetits asheretofore enumerated.

By having the necks and lugs under compression and thus reducing the amount of resilient action therein, I eii'ect a'large power saving. It is well known that the more action existing in a rubber cushion struc# ture, the greater the power consumption when the tire is being driven on a car. By combining the cushion` structure with the pneumatic structure and providing for lthe compression of the necks or lugs 8, however, the amount of action in the cushion tread portion is greatly decreased and hence a great saving in power is effected. By decreasing the action of the tread structure in this manner, I do not produce a tire that will have reduced resilient qualities, as the pneumatic tire provides for all required resiliency.

This application is acontinuationof my application filed February 25, 1924, Serial No. 695,013, which latter application is one substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 330,205 filed by me October 13, 1919.

llU

From the foregoing, itis thought the construction and advantages of my tire wil-l be clear to those skilled in the art, and I wish it understood that slight changes in the details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim' is:

1. In' a pneumatic tire casing in which all parts are vulcanized together; a carcass adapted to receive an inner tube and eXpansible to a predetermined extent when the tube is inflated, a 'rubber tread ring surrounding and spaced from said carcass, transverse circumferentially spaced rubber lugs integral withv said tread ring and interposed between said tread ring and the carcass, said lugs being joined also to said carcass, and a substantially non-stretching band embedded in said tread ring for restricting radial expansion of the tread ring to a greater degree than the carcass, whereby inflation of the tube and consequent expansion of the' carcass will radially compress said lugs to a greater degree than their normal state of compression after vulcanizing, thereby preventing stripping thereof from the carcass.

2. In a thick tread pneumatic tire in which all parts are vulcanized together; a beaded carcass adapted to contain a tube, a wide fiat band surrounding the tread por-v tion of the carcass and restricting radial expansion under inflation, thereby not only restricting the diameter of the tire but forcing lateral expansion of the carcass to an appreciable eXtent beyond the beads, whereby an unusually wide tread portion is produced, a relatively thick rubber tread on said tread portion of the carcass and substantially equal in width to the transverse diameter of-such carcass, said rubber tread.

comprising an outer tread ring and circumferentially spaced lugs joining the same to the portion of the tread contiguous to the carcass, -a substantially non-stretching band in said tread ring for restricting radial expansion of said ring to a greater degree than the expansion of the first named band,- whereby inflation of the tube and consequent expansion of the carcass will radially compress the aforesaid lugs to a greater degree than their. normal state of compression after vulcanizing, and a rubber covering for the side walls ofthe carcass insuiiicient in thickness to act` as a cushion thereby' forcing the inner tube resiliently to carry the entire load.

3. In a-pneumatic tire casing in which all parts are vulcanized together; a carcass havlng rim engaging beads and side walls extending laterally beyond said beads, said carcass having-a greater diameter laterally .than radially, permitting radial expansion when a tube within Said carcass s inflated,

a rubber tread ring surrounding and s aced from said carcass, transverse circum erentially spaced rubber lugs integral with said tread ring andinterposed between the same and the'carcass, said lugsbeing joined also to said carcass, and a substantially nonstretching band embedded in said tread ring adjacent its inner side for restricting radial expansion of the tread ring to a greater degree than the carcass, whereby inflation of the tube and lconsequent radial expansion of the carcass will radially compress said lugs to a greater degree than their normal state of compression after vulcanizing, thereby preventing stripping thereof from the carcass.

4. In a pneumatic tire casing in which all parts are vulcanized together; a carcass adapted to receive an inner tube and eXpansible to a predetermined extent when the tube is inflated, a rubber tread surrounding said carcass and having transverse circum ferentially spaced openings enteringfrom the sides of the tread thereby leaving transverse circumferentially spaced rubber lugs or pillars between adjacent openings, and a substantially non-elongatable band of flexible materialv embedded i-n said tread between said openings and the road-contacting face of the tread for restricting radial expansion of that portion of the tread whichlies between the openings and pillars and the roadcontacting face, whereby inflation of the. tube and consequent expansion of the carcass will eflect radial compression ofthe rubber lugs to a greater degree than their normal state of compression after vulcanizlng. s

5. In a vpneumatic tire casing in which all parts beyond the rim beads are composed wholly of rubber and textile materials and are vulcanized together; a carcass composed of rubber and exible fabric adapted to receive an inner tube and expansible to a predetermined extent whenthe tube is inflated, a fleXible-in-all-directions tread of rubber surrounding said carcass and having transverse and circumferentially spaced openings thereby leaving transverse circumferentially spaced rubber lugs or pillars, that portion of the tread lying between the openings and the road-contacting face having provision for restricting radial expansion 'whereby ination of the tube and consequent expansion of the carcass will effect radial compression of the rubber lugs or pillars to a greater degree than their normal state of compression after vulcanizing.

HENRY BENsoN WHITLARK. 

